Patience
by castroglezGeo
Summary: "Are you ok, Edward?" Of course I'm fucking not -he would have wanted to say- my brother is so weak he can't even sit on his own, the city is destroyed, a lot of people just died because I wasn't good enough, and you're leaving. "Yeah" he managed to say at last. EdLing (Slash!)


Edward was patient. He would spend hours studying his ass off with his face and nose buried in thousands of books, eyes dry and tired of reading for months, maybe even years, for the sole purpose of proving a theory right, or to provide all the reasons why it was _wrong_. He would gather all information available, scrutinize even the smallest piece of data until he was certain that _he had found it -_ the answer to whatever he was looking for, that is _-._

Edward was patient... except when he wasn't.

He would _just not_ wait until the pain from his automail being re-attached to his body had fainted to start moving and use it, even when that made him more sore in the end. Ed wouldn't wait until he was recovered from a fight to engage in the next one if someone _needed him_. Ed couldn't just sit and wait while Alphonse needed him, and so he always went to his rescue -even when most of the times he just ended up fucking everything up-.

But he liked to fool himself believing that he was patient. No, he was actually _forcing_ himself to believe that, since he _had_ to be, for the sake of his brother and his well-being.

...Except that right now there was _someone else_ that needed him -or so his masochist mind wanted to make himself believe-.

Or maybe it was just Ed the one who felt that way?

He didn't know about Ling, but Ed...

He...

He needed a fucking _break_.

Lying in his own hospital bed beside his little brothers, Edward took a deep and tired breath, looked at the ceiling and wondered, what was next?

Al was back, _fully_ back with him, and that filled the most horrible and long-lasting void on his chest -because being abandoned by the bastard they had for father didn't count at all-. Even Mom's death was something of their past, the first of a long list of sins they would have to bear with for the rest of their lives. But Al being back... made Ed feel amazing.

A couple of days had already passed, weather and atmosphere around them was quiet and nice. It was over, and they had got their bodies back, together, as they promised.

Bright warm orange light entered through the windows and the thin curtains on them. Ed glanced at Al, watching how his body went up and down, breathing evenly as he was asleept and felt at peace.

But now there was something _else_ off.

 _He_ had to go and _he_ was _already leaving_.

The feeling was unpleasant and it only got worse by the minute. What could he do? What _would_ he do?

When May later came into the hospital room where he and Al were recovering to say her goodbyes, Ed felt like it was only civilized -he _could_ be civilized- to give his brother and her some privacy. She most likely was going to -properly- confess to Al. Her face had just given her away.

When Ed put his hand in the latch and opened the door to make himself out, something ugly and disturbing that had been dancing in his stomach roused all the way to his throat and threatened to come out as he found Ling waiting out in the hallway.

Why was _he_ here? Did he come to say his goodbyes too?

Ed just wanted to fucking die. He wished he could've just traded his emotions and feelings, his _ability to feel_ that way instead of his alchemy, for Al's body. 'Cause all those feelings he was struggling with felt like shit and it was just from the _sight_ of him. With just a second of looking at Ling, everything around Ed intensified and he was just dizzy and speechless, with a sudden dry in his mouth that didn't allow him to say _shit_.

"Well, this is definitely the worse I've seen of you, Ed, and I've seen you _eating a boot_."

 _Of course_ he had to say that.

Ed needed a comeback. He needed to say something. He needed to say how he felt bad for the people of Xing 'cause their soon-to-be emperor looked as shitty as he did; Ed needed to say how he saw Ling eat _from that same boot_ and that right now he wasn't looking any better.

But nothing came out when he opened his mouth, words _clinging_ to his lips and crawling all the way back to his throat, forming a bigger lump of mixed words and emotions. Ed tried to swallow it, but failed miserably.

Ling's face changed and frowned in concern, and that just made Ed ache a hell of a lot more.

Why such small and trivial things would affect him _that_ badly?

Ling put his hand on Ed's right shoulder -and it took all that was left of himself not to collapse at that mere touch- and insisted "Are you ok, _Edward_?"

 _Of course I'm fucking_ _not_ -he would have wanted to say- _my brother is so weak he can't even sit on his own, the city is destroyed, a lot of people just died because I wasn't good enough, and_ you're _leaving_.

"Yeah" he managed to say at last "Al's back. Al's _finally_ back _."_

At least he was being honest on that.

A smirk grew back onto the Xingese's face before he talked again "Well, he isn't just back, _you_ brought him back"

Ed returned a tired smile "It wasn't just me, it was all of us."

Ed's mouth became a flat line as that thought sank.

"Hell, if it wasn't for Al himself I don't know what would have happened. Stupid Al"

Ling tightened his grip on Ed's shoulder as to ease the weight on them, and released him after saying "Yeah, we all made sacrifices."

Of course they all had. Ling himself had lost Fu and Lan Fan's arm to Bradley. He had even lost Greed.

Actually, in a weird way, they both had lost Greed.

'Cause Greed had been a decisive player in how his relationship with Ling developed -it started _way_ before Greed, but his presence just sped it up and made it stronger-.

And Ed just felt _sick_ at that thought.

 _How could he?_ Greed was his friend. His and Ling's, and he was just there thinking on how his loss would affect his relationship with Ling.

Yeah, Edward Elric was disgusting.

More so when there _wasn't_ such relationship.

They were leaving and it just hurt so bad, he felt like his heart was being ripped off in half between his little brother who was finally _whole_ with him, recovering by his side and... the love of his life.

Edward loved Ling. He was admitting it, and apparently there was no turning back now.

But he was leaving to rule a whole _country_ , he _had_ to.

And Ed had to _stay_ here to take care of Alphonse, help him and be a part of the joy of his newly recovered body 'cause he and his brother _fucking deserved_ _it_.

So his heart belonged to Al and Ling and nothing more, and with Ling, part of it was leaving. Because of that, Ed wanted to think he was patient enough to wait until his brother and he were completely recovered and go East to get their respective annoying Xingese and…

And then, what?

Two fingers snapped right before his eyes and that pulled Ed back to the hallway. His eyes widened and then frown at Ling, who just shrugged and…

And then he was flashed with the warmest smile –of this kind-. It was wide, lips closed together –no teeth- and eyes closed, head a bit tiled to its right.

And Ed hated Ling right there, he hated so much that the idiot prince had managed his way to the eldest of the Elric's heart. He hated that that smile had made him feel all warm on the inside and nervous and with butterflies or gnomes –because butterflies were just too pretty of a thought to be Ed's- going riot on his stomach. It wasn't a big, euphoric smile, no. It was a rather loving smile and Ed just couldn't _stand_ feeling like that all of the sudden just because of him.

"Ed." The Xingese spoke in a more serious tone now, his smile getting a bit smaller "Would you stop worrying? _Please_?"

Did _that_ just made him blush this bad now? Ed thought to himself as he became aware of the hotness in his face. Ling had noticed if not the content of his thoughts, he definitely noticed the effect of them on him, and knew he wasn't well. At this point he could definitely read Ed's expressions.

"Who's worrying about what, you idiot prince?" he said in a not-at-all calmed voice, frowning as he looked away. Edward felt so stupid and ridiculous for acting like that, didn't he just admitted to himself how he _loved_ Ling a few minutes ago?

Besides all his bandages, Ed was just wearing the light hospital robe and some boxers underneath it, while Ling was wearing now his traditional loose white trousers and the goldenrod shirt worn open, revealing his bare –toned- torso… and he just became aware of all that because Ling had just taken two steps towards him, getting his hot bare skin touching his own stomach over the thin white fabric and sliding his hands through the open space of the robe in his back and caught him in a tight, meaningful hug.

The younger man said nothing, patiently waiting, so when Ed finally accepted defeat and return the gesture even more blushed than before, his smiled widened again and then he spoke: "Ohh, if I would've known I could shout your pretty mouth this way I wouldn't have had to think of _the other way!"_ He said teasing the older, laughing a little since apparently the moron couldn't help himself.

Ed was about to rant when the word _pretty_ finally made it to his mind and when he managed to open his mouth, all the swearing he first planned to yell was changed to a very quiet "You said… _pretty_." Ed's voice a lot lower now, with caution –or disbelief-.

Ling's expression softened even more and he opened his eyes to catch Ed's golden ones in a fond look "Yes, that's what I said."

The older frowned slightly as he started thinking and analyzing –yet he didn't break the hug, keeping himself close to the Xingese- how he was not about to be shout down by anyone when, again, he realized the last words Ling had said.

"Other… way?" he asked slowly.

Ling took his hand off of Ed's back –his fingertips traced little lines on the muscles of his back and Edward shivered a little at the gesture- and placed his index in his own cheek. When he spoke again he completely ignored Ed's question.

"Once your _bodies_ are all recovered, come to Xing and be my wife." he stated, more like letting him know than asking him or suggesting it. Ling nodded slightly as if the confused look on Ed was a confirmation that he would do just that.

"W-Wait! What the hell, Ling!?" he asked with a pitched voice as he broke from the hug -but didn't move an inch away from the other man-.

As forward and careless as he always behaved, Ling leaned slightly down on Ed's red hot face, grabbed him from the back of his neck and kissed him.

The kiss was gentle, caring, loving. Lips were sealed at first and barely open at the end of it, allowing themselves to breathe each other's air into their mouths. Their lips were warm and while Ling's were firm, Ed's were trembling a little with the surprise and nervousness of the moment.

But it was amazing.

Then came the second one. Ling tightened his grip on Ed's neck, pulling a little bit and tangling his fingers in the golden, soft hair. The younger grabbed Edward from the waist and immediately pulled their bodies together in a tight hug. Ed, still nervous but less shy, put his hands on Ling's chest and caressed it feeling the warmth of his skin and muscles.

This kiss was intrepid, longing and _hot_.

After a certain amount of time that neither of them cared to count, but that for Ed felt thankfully like endless, they stopped kissing and grabbed air like the two agitated teens they both were, just staring at each other with their foreheads resting in the other one's.

Even when Ed knew the blush on his face was greater and hotter than Ling's, he thought the prince looked stupid, adorable and handsome with that pink color on his cheeks.

"You do know I can't be your _wife_ , right? That's just idiotic."

Ling leaned to his left –Ed's right- and placed a few kisses into the blonde's right arm with a smile on his lips.

Ed felt slightly ashamed and ridiculous but did his best to ignore that and gave the young one a threatening look. Ling finally spoke again, lips still against the pale skin of his recovered arm.

"It's so thin now, how are you supposed to hold an emperor like this?"

Ed frowned. Was Ling going to ignore all his questions now? He was _not_ liking it.

Suddenly, Ling's gaze turned serious, which distracted him from the feeling and stared at the Xingese, expectant.

"Let me take concern on the following events at Xing in which I will become emperor; everything will be calm by the time you and Al come to us. You mustn't worry."

"Ling…"

With that line, all previous concerns came back to Ed.

The emptiness that hurt in his stomach came back. Ling had to go to rule an entire country, change their entire politics and make it work for May and all the other clans.

And he…

He had to stay there for Al.

Alphonse. His little brother that…

"Snap out of it, Ed!"

Ling looked serious yet again, thought this time he was more angered-concerned than he was reassuring. Ed hadn't actually noticed how quickly and extremists the changes in Ling's temper were. He was amazed. He went from being a total jerk, to best friend, to romantic love interest, -briefly- a very well portrayed worthy heir of the Xing empire to finally an upset... boy-friend?

" _Fiancé_." The younger corrected his thoughts with a playful smile.

Now the jerk could read his mind. Marvelous.

Ling caressed Ed's cheek with the back of his hand gently, apparently switching again to his romantic love interest persona. The younger looked at him and smiled so warmly and sincere, it made him feel good. It made him feel good about everything.

 _He must not worry._

May eventually came out to the hallway, all blushed and shy and apparently not noticing anything that had happened outside of the Elrics' room. The foreigners said their goodbyes again and with a deeply loving look, he saw _his_ idiotic prince taking off, with a promise of meeting again as soon as possible.

Ed could now be back at being _truly_ patient. Once he and Al would be fully recovered and Ling had finished with the coronation, they could be together.

Edward was patient enough.


End file.
